I like the way that Manning has stepped his game up in the 6 games that he played for the Flyers last season and he has been rewarded with a new contract.

With the Flyers drafting high on defense this season it is great to see them tie up some of their current younger defenseman on an ageing blueline.

Manning is only 23 and has a good level of experience with the Phantoms playing 65 games last season posting 40 points (12 G, 28 A) with 216 PIM.

With all the injury worries of last season’s defense, Philly are smart to make sure they have depth needed. If likely candidate for injury “paper thin” Andrej Meszaros or anyone else from defense gets hurt, Manning should be able to plug the hole. Let’s hope he kicks on from last season and makes a case for himself in training camp!

I have to admit to owning a signed Claude Giroux jersey, proudly framed and on my apartment wall. But this takes fan memorabilia to another level. Not only is the cost ridiculous ($6.5k!) but I would like to know who would want a load of old stitches from Andrew Shaw of all people..?

The New Jersey Devils yesterday announced that they had re-signed Adam Henrique on a six year contract at $24 million according to NHL.com

Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but media reports indicate it’s for six years and $24 million.

Henrique, 23, scored 11 goals in 42 games last season.

“It was an exciting day,” Henrique told The (Bergen) Record’s Tom Gulitti. “My family and I are excited about it. It’s something you’ve been working for for a long time. I’m extremely happy with what the deal is and how things are looking going forward.”

Henrique is a player who has seen his development continue while playing an important role in the Devils current playoff success.

At 23 if he continues to develop at his current rate this contract will be a great investment in the future. It is always risky signing young players to substantial period of time to justify the cap. I think the Devils will look back in a few years and talk about a great bit of business by taking that risk on Henrique.

Detroit has re-signed energetic winger Gustav Nyquist for 2 more years at $950,000 per season according to their website. That is a cheap deal for a player of Nyquist’s quality who had a great playoff campaign with 5 points in 14 games.

DETROIT – The Red Wings are all ready for training camp after agreeing to a two-year contract with forward Gustav Nyquist, who was a restricted free agent. Nyquist was the last of the Red Wings’ free agents to re-sign with the club. Detroit now has 15 forwards signed to one-way contracts, and that doesn’t include Tomas Tatar, though he is out of AHL options and still must clear waivers to be send down. In all, Detroit has 25 under contract. “It feels great, I’m real excited,” Nyquist said Tuesday in a phone interview from his home in Sweden. “It just feels great to know that you’re going to be a part of it for at least the next two years, and it’s such a great organization. I’ve learned so much since I started playing there, so it’s a great feeling right now.” According to a report on NHL Radio, the Nyquist contract is worth $950,000 per season.

It is nice to see a player taking a lower salary to stay with a team he likes. A few franchises could learn a lot by understanding why Gustav Nyquist and Joakim Andersson have taken such reasonable deals!